I thought I'd try reviving my long lost modelling skills and whip up some car models. The thing is, I'm not exactly sure how to get my creations ingame.

Now I know how to model, texture and such. What I'm interested in is how all the dummies, hierarchies and material settings (transparency, reflections) work for .4ds files. I'm thinking of using ZModeler to export my creations.

Also, why is the front axle on some cars "flipped" to the side, and what makes it show up right in the game?

Not expecting anyone to write a tutorial for me, but maybe you could point me to one?

Hello Bumper!
There was a car converting tutorial from GTA:VC to Mafia by -HeKn- & MafiaMan9mm where every step was explained, but I can't find it here. Maybe someone still have it?
If you speak German, here is a step by step car converting tutorial in the German language:
http://mafia.gamona.de/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=13067

I don't really speak German, but thanks to the pictures and Google Translate it's a pretty informative tutorial. Leaves quite a few questions unanswered, but I suppose I'll get back to those when I actually get to the exporting stage.

For people wondering what I'm doing, it's a Bolt Ace HD in the works:

Just the Tudor for now, but hopefully the rest of the body styles too. Would also love doing the rest of the cars, but considering how time-consuming this actually is, I probably won't get to that point.